Demise

Demise is the final boss of Skyward Sword, and the figure Ghirahim has been trying to revive. Demise is first seen in a different form, as a creature called "The Imprisoned". He is located in the Sealed Grounds, and Link must defeat him early on in the game, along with having seen many nightmares of the beast.

Near the end of the game, Ghirahim manages to revive Demise in the World of the Past, and task of defeating him falls to you.

How to Defeat Demise

If you are not the world's leading expert on the Shield Bash you will most likely need Revitalizing Potions or the Hylian Shield for this battle. You can use Z targeting and jump back when he attacks, but Shield Bash counters make this battle extremely short.

During the first phase of the battle, you want to stay close to him. If you are distant from him, he will do a very damaging (2 hearts) charging attack, that can be difficult to avoid (but you can jump to avoid it with a timed back flip).

Demise's attacks are slow and easy to counter, just Shield Bash or back flip his attack and then counter attack with a slash. Repeat this as three more times as Demise will fight back three more times. He will then go down on one knee. When he does this, attack him with everything you've got!

You can get in a perfect pattern of countering Demise's attacks and hitting him with Sword Spins that will take him out in a very short time. You can get past this phase without bringing him to his knee at all, but it will take much longer.

During the next phase, the arena will fill with lightning and Demise will begin to charge up his own Skyward Strikes. Notice that if you clash with his sword now, you will take an electric shock. You should also notice that you cannot regularly charge your own Skyward Strike.

You may continue using the Shield Bash technique during this fight. Counter Demise's 3-strikes attack and slash him afterwards when he recuperates. Avoid getting struck by lightning from above and counter his Skyward Strikes while you engage him. Eventually, you can perform the Fatal Blow to try to finish him off.

Another technique is to use your Skyward Strike. What you want to do is hold your sword up and try to catch one of the lightning bolts. This will charge your sword and you can fire off a Skyward Strike.

Chances are, he already has his own Skyward Strike ready. If your Skyward Strike collides with his own, they will cancel. You won't get hit, but you also won't deal any damage. The key to this battle is to make sure your strike hits him before he unleashes his own. To do this, follow this pattern: raise your sword and catch a bolt of Lightning. It may take a while, so be patient and be wary of his other attacks. If Demise uses his skyward strike at you dodge it by moving to the right or left and follow up with your own skyward strike to hit him. Sometimes Demise will will do a charging attack that he did in the first phase on you. When he gets close, simply dodge backwards and follow up with your Skyward Strike.

When your Skyward Strike hits him, he'll become paralyzed. This is your opportunity, and you'll want to capitalize on it. Run up to him and start whacking away. He should fall back and you will have a chance to perform a Fatal Blow.

Chances are that if you attempt to defeat him the first time he falls, you won't be successful, so don't try it on his first fall. If you do, he'll dodge and you'll be left vulnerable. Instead, let him get up and repeat the following the steps. It is possible to defeat him on the second time he falls, but if you're not very fast, wait until the third time he falls. Once he's impaled, sit back and watch the ending. You've just beaten the game!